Residents and farmers led by the Għaqda Residenti taż-Żurrieq on Saturday called on the government to amend the local plans for the region, in the wake of a zoning application that seeks to develop 11,000 square metres of virgin land into apartment blocks.

In a press conference held on the site of the proposed development, residents lambasted government’s reticience to amend the 2006 Local Plans for Zurrieq, despite promises to do so in Marsaskala, Qala and recently Bulebel.

“The country’s leadership needs to understand that residents across Malta are fed up of environmental destruction for the sake of speculation,” said resident Jan Camilleri. “It’s as if they made it their mission to destroy Zurrieq, but it’s the same everywhere. Our struggle is not partisan and is similar to that of residents across Malta; we believe that public land should not be sold off, and agricultural land should be given to farmers,” said Camilleri.

“I agree with the government’s decision to buy back local band clubs. In the same way, the government should be buying back land earmarked for development for the enjoyment of the public,” he said.

His sentiment was echoed by Annalisa Schembri, a farmer whose field lies in the proposed development zone. “Why is agriculture always being ignored by the government? Isn’t it an important activity? Being a farmer is difficult enough with the increase in prices and the challenges brought about by climate change, let alone having to worry about losing the lands we’ve tilled for generations,” she said.

“We’re tired of the same narrative that local plans cannot be changed. The wrongs of previous administrations cannot be righted by this government’s inactivity. The government has the obligation to revise the plans and show political responsibility to do what is right for the wellbeing of the communities, not the developers’.”

Schembri invited the Prime Minister to spend a day with them “to understand the challenges that we face, and the destruction that he is sponsoring.”

Fellow farmer Robert Bondin Carter criticised the secrecy surrounding the application, which had been in the works for two years without the farmers being told anything. “What about our human rights? What about our mental health? During the pandemic, farmers were expected to go to work to guarantee the supply of food. Now we’ve gone back to being ignored and mistreated.”

“The government should be protecting us, our work, and our produce. The most obvious thing it can do right now is to what it said it will do in Bulebel, and protect our farmland by amending the local plans.”

Over a thousand objections have been filed in relation to the project. Matthew Borg, from the Għaqda Residenti taż-Żurrieq, said that this was proof of the anger at these zoning applications. “A look at the Local Plan for Zurrieq indicates twelve zones that are slated for rezoning under the so-called rationalisation scheme. But this is really a speculation scheme, where landowners who bought the land for cheap are being encouraged to make huge profits on the back of the communities’ wellbeing.”

Borg thanked the local council for objecting to the project, and called for the residents to have a voice in discussions on the future of the area. Last Friday, the Lands Ministry issued a statement saying that the government land included in the development will be retained for “social and community uses.”

“While this is an encouraging step, we believe that the conditions allowing the rezoning of vast swathes of land have to be changed. The Local Plans are 18 years old and are no longer suited to today’s realities. If these plans for Zurrieq were to be realised, the town would be turned into a slum with a substantial loss for our quality of life, and to the identity of the village.”

“Our association will continue in its work to preserve the beauty of Zurrieq, and we are willing to work with the authorities as long as they show an interest in doing so,” Borg concluded.